Luka arose from his slumber. He suddenly remembered what he had done the day before. Fighting Kanon had put a lot of strain on the hero's body.
I haven't fought that hard in so long now... Not since that time I fought Alma Elma and Granberia at the same time...
He left his tent and looked around the campsite. There he found his friend, Omori, still sleeping.
Omori...
Luka looked at her now shrivelled tentacles. Two of them were fine, but the rest were fully paralyzed. Undine said reversing paralysis was difficult, and could take years of effort. Firstly though, they'd have to remove the poison still trapped inside them. Luka could not risk going back to Vrimor, for obvious reasons, so instead opted for a nearby village.
I should wake her up. She hasn't eaten in a day now. Plus, she's been asleep for more than twelve hours now. That's probably not healthy.
Luka shook the Scylla awake. It took a few tries from the hero to do it, but eventually, her eyes did open.
"Huh... Luka?" Omori said.
"Yes, it's me, Omori" Luka responded. He watched as Omori tried to stand up, but only managed to fall back down.
"Wh-What? What happened to me?" Omori asked, with a voice ripe with worry.
"After we defeated Kanon, she used the alraunes most dangerous, and strongest move, Aztec Rose. This ended her life, but it also managed to do this to you" Luka explained.
"...N-No... I-I can't be crippled! Stop, no! This isn't real!" Omori cried out. Luka was shocked at the sudden burst of emotion "Please, Please Luka! Tell me this isn't real! I-I can't feel my body! I can barely move!" She continued to shout "W-Wait. I should be dead! How, how am I alive!?"
"P-Please calm down, Omori." Luka said.
"Calm down? You want me to calm down!?" Omori shouted, with tears in her eyes "You! This is your fault! If I had never met you, I'd be able to walk! God Damn you!" She screamed. Luka felt incredible guilt at the sight. She continued to shout at the hero, before eventually fainting.
...I'm so sorry...
Luka lifted the sleeping Scylla up. He packed up the campsite and began to walk to the nearby village.
I'm so sorry, Omori.
"Stop that," Salamander said "Do I have to repeat myself? What happened isn't your fault. You did your best. Nobody's perfect. She's an adult, Luka. She knew the risks. She's just in shock. Anyone would be upon finding something like that out. Give her time"
...Okay...
Salamander looked at the hero who had contracted with her with a frown.
Why is he blaming himself for this!? It makes no sense, and also, why does he even care so much? It's not like they were lovers. This human makes no sense! Why does he care about a monster so much!? He should hate us for what Alipheese has done to his kind!
Salamander sighed deeply and returned to the hero's mind. She would talk to him about it later. For now, he clearly needed some space.
Luka's feeling of guilt did not go away in the slightest. He continued to blame himself as he made his way to the village. It did not take long to reach it. He paid for a two-bed room in the local Inn and also paid for a monster doctor to look at Omori.
"You said she inhaled Aztec Rose?" The Naccubus asked. Luka nodded in response. He looked down at Omori, who was half-covered by a blanket.
"She has a fever too. I won't ask you how she inhaled this, but I need to know one thing" The Naccubus said "How high-ranking was this alraune?"
"...Very." Luka said.
"...To be honest with you. Your friend shouldn't even be alive. I've never seen this before. You said you managed to quarantine the poison, trapping it in her tentacles?"
"Yeah, it was a skill some angels on the Ilias Continent taught me."
"Hmm... I don't know much about holy magic, so I guess I'll just have to believe you. Anyway, let me see her tentacles now." She said. Luka pulled down the cloth, revealing her eight tentacles. The Naccubus lifted each one up and inspected them. After a few minutes of this, she spoke again.
"Good news, it's not the end of the line for her. She will live, as far as I can see, the poison has been fully stopped. Also, as you said earlier, two of her tentacles retain function. As for the others, once we remove the poison, she may be able to use them again, in time" The Naccubus explained "For now, we should wake her up" The Naccubus said. Luka agreed and unceremoniously shook the Scylla awake. Omori's eyes opened slowly.
"...Huh? Where am I?" She asked. Luka explained to her once again what happened. Thankfully for Luka's heart, she did not begin to cry again. This time, she listened intently. She began to remember everything that happened that day and the day before. The Doctor then explained her situation medically, to which Omori was horrified. Although this time, she was able to stay calm.
"And so, a few years down the line, you should be able to walk normally again. It's a miracle you're still alive in the first place, Omori" The Naccubus said as she wrote some information down on her clipboard "Now, I assume you're going to be staying here, right? I can visit every so often for check-ups. Over time, your body should start working the poison out, but I have some medicine that can assist with this. I can also call for some Alraune specialists. They would know more about how to treat Aztec Rose than I would."
"...Okay. Thank you." Omori said.
With that, the Doctor left. Omori looked away from Luka for a moment. She was too embarrassed to look directly at him.
"...I'm sorry Luka." Omori said.
"Huh!? N-No Omori, I should be the one that's sorry!" Luka said.
"No, no it isn't. Don't blame yourself for this. I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. Please don't hate me for it" Omori said "I was just really scared and... I'm sorry"
"..." Luka remained silent as Omori apologised. Omori looked down in shame. She was going to speak once more but was interrupted when the hero leapt at the Scylla, ending in a hug.
"It's okay, Omori. Of course, I'll forgive you" Luka said. Omori tried to stop the tears from falling down her face but failed. For a few minutes, they remained locked in a hug.
"Does... Does this mean I won't be able to go with you anymore?" Omori asked.
"...Yeah. There's just no way we can travel together. If you want, I can stay here with you, although, I probably couldn't stay for long" Luka said.
"No, you don't have to do that for me. I can still walk, somewhat. I can make some new friends" Omori said "So don't worry about me. I'll be alright, and I still have my life savings. Alipheese pays surprisingly well, so I'll be alright for the foreseeable future" Omori explained.
"Ah, I see" Luka said.
The two were now awkwardly looking at each other. Both were embarrassed about the hug.
"Then... This is goodbye" Omori said.
...
"Thank you, Luka."
"What?"
"Thank you for bringing me with you. It was the most fun I've ever had. If I had to do it all again, even if I still had to go through this, I would." Omori said.
"...Omori..."
"Now go, oh Hero Luka. Show Ilias, and Alipheese your strength. Save everyone, Luka. End the war before it goes too far" Omori said, while wiping off a tear with one of her tentacles.
"Well, just make sure you visit, okay?" Omori said.
"Heh, of course," Luka said with a small smile. Luka left the room. He had to get back on the road. He had already paid the Doctor for Omori's treatment, and he now only had a few hundred gold left.
Hmm, I'll have to get some later on. Haah, back home I would have enough money to buy this whole village! I guess that's what happens when you are a world-renowned hero and the husband of the Monster Lord.
Luka looked back at the door to Omori's room.
Fuuu... Thank Ilias that's over... Goodbye, Omori. I'll miss you. I know one day; I'll see you again.
Luka left the Inn and started back on the road. Together, He and the spirits would continue working towards ending this war.
And then, after that, I'll find a way back to you, Alice.
Deep within the Monster Lord's castle, four monsters sat around a table. Their lord had not yet arrived at the meeting, and neither had one of their sisters. The four decided to begin the meeting early, rather than wait. The topic was far too pressing, and they could not afford to waste time.
"All she said was, and I quote, 'Daystar...'" Tamamo No Mae repeated, for the third time now.
"But we know that it couldn't have been the morning star! None of the witnesses noticed her, and the deaths war far too few to be her" Saja responded.
"I know. I don't understand it either, but that's what she said. Clearly, just before she died, she sent out a telepathic message to us" Tamamo said.
Four of the six ancestors were now discussing the recent death of their sister. Meetings like this used to be fairly common for the ancestors, and would sometimes include their mother, or her daughter, but recently they've become rare. This is due to several reasons, including each ancestor becoming more independent, not having to rely on each other as much, and all of them having a general distaste for each other. Of course, when it was vital, they had no issue joining the meetings. The most recent development, Kanon's death to 'somebody', and the matter of the Hero Luka, and his contracting of the four spirits, was on the agenda. Saja, known as the leader of the six ancestors, to the other's chagrin, was currently contesting the news. She refused to believe that not only had Kanon, one of the greatest fighters among monsters ever, died but also that they had no idea who did it. Some suspected it was a group of monsters, rebelling against the monster lord by killing the ancestor, but this idea was quickly dismissed. Most, however, suspected that Ilias was somehow behind it, a fair assumption when in a war with her.
"But who could be strong enough to take down Kanon? She may not have been the smartest one here, but she was far from weak. Very few could hope to beat her in a fight. Furthermore, she was killed in broad daylight, a time when she is at her strongest. Do we really have no idea who could've killed her?" Hiruko asked.
The room was filled with silence. Saja herself thought of the possibilities, but unless Ilias herself had descended to strike down the ancestor, she could not think of anyone that could not only kill her but also so quickly. Normally, fights between seraphs and ancestors would go on for hours, even days. The fight that led to Kanon's death, however, had only been reported to last no more than twenty minutes. This was unheard of.
Perhaps it was Lucifina? Or Micaela...? Or both of them? But then, they would've been sighted... Who could have done this?
"I think I may have an idea" Tamamo No Mae said "What if that Hero, Luka, did this? We know he had already contracted with three of the spirits from his fight with me, and since Salamander, the spirit of fire, is in the Gold region, he may have contracted with her and then defeated Kanon. It's not impossible" The Golden-haired kitsune explained.
"Who?" Hiruko asked.
"He's the one who sealed Morrigan. I watched him contract with the Spirit of Water." Kanade said.
"Huh? So why didn't you just eat him then and there? And you, Tamamo, I heard the two of you fought, how come you didn't just kill him?"
"I was resting. I could not afford the energy it would take to kill the child. I assumed Tamamo would've taken care of him"
"I did try to. He was stronger than I expected. Far stronger than what should be possible for a human. I suspected him of having monster blood but did not sense any. Either his skill with the spirits is even better than our own control of our elements, or... Well, I'll get onto that later" Tamamo explained.
"Fine, we'll come back to this. We'll wait until our lord arrives, and Minagi is late too" Saja said.
Tamamo glared at the Lamia who had just ordered her.
Don't act like you are our leader... Damn snake
Tamamo and the others waited for a few minutes until the sound of teleportation filled the air. Minagi materialized before them. Her daughters did not appear with her. They were only expected to come to the most important meetings, or one's that involved them directly. It was then that Tamamo noticed that she was mistaken, one of her daughters was there. Morrigan and Minagi approached the table, and each took their own seat. Although, Morrigan's was noticeably smaller than Minagi's, which was a symbol of status.
"Here at last, Minagi. I see you've brought Morrigan with you. Why is that?"
"Good afternoon to you too, Tamamo. Morrigan fought the hero directly, remember? She may have valuable information. He is one of the topics of this meeting, is he not?" Minagi said with a sensuous, seductive voice.
"He is. We've decided to talk about him and Kanon's death when Lord Alipheese arrives. For now, we may as well talk of smaller news" Saja said.
"Well, Yamatai has been repaired. Its population has also been restored. Overall, though, Noah is still mostly empty. For now, both Safina and Noah are unclaimed territory. Before Kanon died, we had planned to push further into either Safina or Noah and try to take over San Ilia, but now that seems far more difficult" Tamamo said.
"Speaking of Safina, most of the centre has been taken over by humans. They call themselves 'The Resistance' and have made impressive strides in war. For now, we should consider them another faction. It shouldn't be too difficult to get rid of them, but that can wait" Hiruko explained "Also, Ilias has now taken full control of the Natalia region. She's been getting more aggressive recently, and with the death of an ancestor, I only expect her to push even harder"
Hiruko and the others discussed the war for another few minutes. Overall, the recent loss did not spell the end for them, but it was certainly a blow to their army. Tamamo cursed herself for not taking care of the hero earlier. If she had just killed him in Gelon, none of this would've happened. They might have even been marching on heaven by now.
The abnormally large door to the room was opened by two guards, and out slithered the lord of all monsters, along with her daughter. The Dark Goddess had appeared for this meeting, a rare sighting. Even rarer, she had brought young Alipheese the Second along. The guards closed the door, and Alipheese sat on the largest chair in the room, which was also at the head of the table, and her daughter sat on a smaller chair beside her.
Alipheese the second closely resembled her mother, although she had a more classic Lamia tail, compared to her mother's more monstrous kind. She had the same silver hair as her mother but lacked her immense size. The Second was less than half the size of the First. In terms of raw power, Alipheese the Second was immensely strong, on the same tier as the ancestors, although perhaps a little weaker.
"Greetings, Lord Alipheese," Saja said while kneeling, and the others quickly followed suit. Alipheese motioned for them to rise, and began to speak.
"Good afternoon, my children. It has been too long since we were all together like this" Alipheese said "I'm sure you're all aware of Kanon's unfortunate demise. She will be missed greatly. Her remains have been placed in a grave in my garden. There, she will rest for eternity, together with nature, the same as when she was born"
Tamamo and the others listened to their lord as they returned to their seats.
Missed? I doubt it. That plant did nothing but eat all day. She was always pathetic.
"Now, who is to blame for her death?" Alipheese asked.
Silence filled the room once more.
"Well?" She asked again.
"We're not sure, Lord Alipheese. Although, I have a suspicion as to who may have done it"
"Go on"
"There are two possibilities. One, it was either The Daystar or The Sword of Heaven. Or even both. I personally find this unlikely. Since they were not seen by any of the citizens, they must have snuck in. Although we have seen angels disguise themselves as humans before, we have never seen a seraph do it. Overall, it just doesn't make sense. How could they kill an ancestor without being seen?" Tamamo said.
"As for the second possibility. I think it was the Hero Luka. He has made a name for himself recently. I don't know too much about him, but I know a fair amount. He was supposedly raised on the Ilias Continent and was a follower of Ilias for a time. He is no longer one of them, otherwise, the spirits never would've contracted with him. I first saw him in Gelon. There, he saved a young girl, fought me for a bit, then ran away when Kanon intervened"
Huh, if Kanon never interrupted, she'd be alive right now. Fate is a funny thing.
"Afterwards, I sent some kitsune to follow him. They told me he contracted with Sylph, the Spirit of Wind. Then he went to San Ilia and left the girl he saved there. I believe Morrigan can explain what happened next better than me"
"Huh? Uh, yeah, I guess. He tricked me with a dummy, making me think it was some nice food for me, but then he jumped me! Me and him fought, but in the end, I lost. But only because he cheated! He used an angel skill on me!" Morrigan shouted. Minagi looked at her daughter disapprovingly.
"Stop shouting. You are no longer a child. And you are in the presence of our Lord. Act accordingly" Minagi said. Morrigan was going to respond but quickly deflated under the gaze of the others.
"Anyway, as you've heard, he can use angel skills. Unless there's some Holy Spirit I don't know about, it shouldn't be possible. I'll come back to that in a bit. For now, I'll tell you what else I know. After defeating Morrigan, my Kitsune attempted to capture him but failed. He then went to Safina. I'm not sure what he did there, but I know he contracted with Gnome while there. He then went to Noah, contracted with Undine, and then came to Yamatai."
"There, me and him clashed once more. He was far stronger this time and managed to do quite well in our fight. Oh, I forgot to mention he was also accompanied by a traitorous Scylla. We can deal with her later" Tamamo said "Eventually, the Lilith Sisters showed up, apparently eager for revenge. For the second time now, I was interrupted before I could kill the Hero. I taught them a lesson" She said. Morrigan's face contorted in anger as she spoke of their defeat "The hero, once again, escaped. From there, I assume he contracted with Salamander, the Fire Spirit. Then, he snuck into Vrimor, and fought Kanon" Tamamo explained.
"Now, even if he was an abnormally strong human, with all four spirits, taking down an ancestor should have been impossible. Especially alone, or I suppose he probably still had that Scylla with him. I have some more evidence to support this theory as well. When one of my kitsune investigated the guards of the castle, a harpy knight said she remembered a purple-haired slave boy that was being sent to Kanon. Unfortunately, since her personal guards were killed when the castle collapsed, we cannot confirm this" Tamamo said.
"I see. I think that is more than enough. So, the Hero Luka is to blame?" Alipheese said.
"I believe so. Now, as to how he can use angel skills, there are two possibilities. One, Ilias personally blessed the hero with holy magic. This is unlikely, as we can clearly see that unlike Ilias and her followers, Luka does not despise monsters. Otherwise, why would he contract with them, and travel with them? Also, humans cannot handle angel magic well. They would burn up from the inside from overuse, causing a slow, painful death. As for the second possibility, he could be part angel" Tamamo said.
"Part-angel?" Hiruko said "Hmm... We've never seen an example of a part-angel human before. In theory, Angels should be able to give birth to humans, although they normally would rather turn humans into angels instead. It would certainly explain his usage of angel skills and his unnatural strength"
"But then, if he is part angel, who was his mother?" Saja asked.
"That I don't know" Tamamo said "As I said earlier, this is just a theory. We would have to study his cells to be certain. If I were to guess, whoever his mother was would have to be at least archangel tier"
Minagi and the others remained silent as they considered the possibilities. Tamamo spoke up after the uncomfortable silence lingered on too long.
"But then, we have to consider Kanon's last words," Tamamo said.
"Kanon? She left us some last words?"
"Yes, mother. Although, it was just one word. She said, 'Daystar'." Tamamo explained.
"Daystar? Then it must have been Lucifina that killed her. Why didn't you mention that first?"
"Because, as I said earlier, that's almost impossible. There's absolutely no way Lucifina snuck into Vrimor, killed Kanon and got out without being seen. And also, we have evidence to say that Luka was there. Perhaps Kanon was just delusional, or confused." Tamamo said.
The room returned to silence yet again.
"I see. So, what do you suggest we do then, Tamamo, about this hero?" Alipheese said.
"...I think we should capture him, find out all we need to know, and then we can get revenge for Kanon" She explained.
"...Very well. When you manage to catch him, bring him to me. For now, put out a warrant for his immediate detainment, Alive. For the reward... I will fulfil whatever wish the detainer asks for. Within reason, of course," Alipheese said "Now, Saja, Alice. Come with me. Tamamo, lend us one of your kitsune that have seen the hero. We'll need her to give us details on how he looked for the posters"
"Yes, my lord"
With that, the semi-annual meeting of the ancestors ended. This time, with nearly full attendance, minus one ancestor, of course. Tamamo made her way out of the castle and began to head back to Yamatai. There she would plot the downfall of both the Hero Luka and the Goddess Ilias.
One request, within reason... This could be very valuable. I must capture him. Hero Luka, you have no idea what's coming to you.
In the skies far above the ancestors, far above even the clouds, Ilias watched. Although it was not the ancestors Ilias was observing, but rather, the Hero Luka. She watched as he walked down a dirt path. She currently had a wide smile on her face as she did. She greatly enjoyed watching that damn plant die. Only, she wished that it was more prolonged and painful than it was. Regardless, this was a great day for angels and humans. She then heard someone knocking at the door.
Who could- Oh, Eden. And her sisters too?
"Come in," Ilias said.
The door opened, and Eden, Micaela and Lucifina immediately kneeled before their goddess.
"We've come, as you asked, my lord," Eden said.
Oh, right. I did ask them to come. I forgot about that.
Ilias's smile grew wider as she allowed her daughters in. The four of them sat down at a nearby table.
"So, my lord, for what reason have you called us?" Micaela asked.
"Is there something to destroy?" Lucifina said with her usual grin.
"No, my children. I have great news for us. Kanon, the ancestor of all alraune, also known as the Green Dragon, the one who has eaten hundreds of our angels, has been killed" Ilias said.
Micaela and Eden's eyes widened in shock, while Lucifina had a more reserved reaction.
"Is this true? How?" Micaela asked.
"It is the truth, Micaela. Is your goddess word not enough?" Ilias asked.
"O-Of course it is, but my lord, this is unheard of. We've gotten close to killing the ancestors a few times, sure, but we've never actually done it! So, who did it?" She asked.
"A fair question. Believe it or not, the Hero Luka is the one" Ilias said. Micaela looked confused, while Eden was much the same. Lucifina however, looked surprised.
"Luka? That purple-haired boy from Safina? The Half-angel one?" Lucifina asked.
"The very one," Ilias said. The seraph looked to be in contemplation.
"Forgive me for interjecting, my lord, but who is this Luka?" Eden asked. Micaela was also curious about this.
"Ah, you have not met him yet. He is a young hero, but I do not know where he is from. He wields a sword he stole from Tamamo No Mae. It can seal his enemies, and contains angel souls" Ilias explained "I know how distasteful that is, but don't blame him for it. He has contracted with the four spirits of nature, and as we can see from his victory over Kanon, he has gained great strength" Ilias said.
"I see. And what is this about him having angel blood?" Micaela asked.
"That, that I am not sure about" Ilias continued "Lucifina said she detected angel blood in him and even said it had to be seraph level. But since I know none of you have had any children, I don't understand how this could be possible. I'm sure the answer will be found soon enough. Just put your faith in me, my children"
"Yes, my lord," All three seraphs said.
"Now, back to Kanon's death. With her out of the picture, Alipheese has lost a vital piece of her army. Micaela, what do you make of this?" Ilias asked.
"Hmm, now that they've lost an ancestor... I'd say there about eleven percent weaker overall. This... is very good for us. Although I wouldn't quite say we're even now, it's certainly a more fair fight. In fact, we may be able to push forward and reclaim some of our lost territories"
"And where would you suggest?"
"Hmm. I think we should move east from San Ilia. We can use the ruins of Gelon as a base of operations. From there, we can push towards the largely untouched Noah region"
"Very well. Eden, go out and prepare. Assemble our army" Ilias commanded.
"At once, my lord" Eden replied. As she left the room, Micaela spoke up.
"My lord, on another matter, have we figured out where Alipheese the Second resides? Or even, who she is?" She asked. Ilias sighed. It was a question she had heard many times. Unlike the rest of her family, Alipheese the Second did not fight in the Great War and instead led armies from the shadows. She was an important target for Ilias, as if Alipheese the first were to fall, the second would take charge of her army. If she could kill the second before this, then she could end the Fateburn line before it got the chance to really begin. The only problem, they had no idea where, or who she was. Alipheese had kept her daughter's identity a well-kept secret. Only the ancestors and her knew who she was. Some suspected Saja, the ancestor of all Lamias and Harpies, was the second, but this idea was dismissed as the war progressed.
"No. All we know is, she is likely the one ruling Remina right now. She has also been responsible for the monsters who lived in Remina, while the human king was responsible for the humans. Thus, they could live in a disgusting form of coexistence. But, soon enough, we will save the humans there" Ilias said "I can feel it, Alipheese will not stand for long now. This is the beginning of the end. And have no doubt, my children, we will come out victorious" Ilias said. Lucifina remained oddly silent.
With that, the two seraphs left to prepare for battle. Ilias continued to think about the recent developments. She now knew something which she had suspected for a while. Luka was the son of a seraph. In specific, Lucifina. She had watched him as he used her signature move, Daystar. She still had no clue how this could be possible, but knew that she should keep it secret from his supposed mother. If she were to know, she may try to kill him, disregarding her orders, or who knows, she could even join him and rebel against her. Ilias had no way of knowing what Lucifina would do. For now, she would think of a plan for the young hero.
Hmm... Hero Luka. If I just had your loyalty... Then I could win this war...
Ilias pondered as to how she would win the hero over.
Well... he is male. Perhaps... Yes... That could work...
Ilias continued to think of a plan to persuade the hero to her side. Ilias smiled as she imagined them, and returned to her observation of said hero.
Hero Luka. One way or another, you will win this war for me. And then, I will give you your reward...